Soul Keeper:DeiTobi
by Tobi the Hubcap Thief
Summary: Deidara's father is abusive,and Tobi decides to help him escape. But can they ever be free of his father's cruelty?
1. Chapter 1

"Life sucks. And then you die.I should be so lucky."--Jacob Black;Twilight

My body shook with silent,ragged sobs,convulsing as I struggled to keep myself from making any noise and giving away my position. Blood stained the left side of my face,and I couldn't see out of my left eye. The tears flowed faster and harder as I listened to my father curse and swear in the next room. My name was mentioned amongst those words,spoken with derision and hatred. But as much as my father might hate me,I hated him far more than the whole world combined could ever hate a single man,but with that hate came fear.  
I stifled another sob as his voice rose,bellowing threats and accusations that stung almost as worse as the pain in my eye.  
Abusive,vehement,relentless,and drunk,he was the equivalent to the monster from a child's darkest nightmares.

But for me,he was ten times worse than that. He _was_ my nightmares,and because of that,I hardly ever slept. In the waking world,nothing changed,for he invaded both realms.  
I don't remember the last time I truly slept,nor could I ever remember ever finding happiness in the very few dreams of the past. There was no escape,awake or asleep;I was afraid to run,fearing that he'd pursue me through my dreams,stopping at nothing so long as he could inflict pain upon me again.  
My mother was dead. She'd died trying to save me--from _him_,of course. My father took no notice,he took her death in disregard,and it did nothing to bring him to his senses.

However,if he had been drinking heavily before,my mother's death provoked him to double his alcohol intake. Unfortunately,he is a violent drunk. He sought me out as his personal punching bag,taking his ever-changing emotions out on me...my only chance of survival was to hide from him,dodging every possible conflict. Years of abuse had taught me to be fast,and in his drunken state,my father was often too slow to land a proper hit. Today,however,he had caught me off gaurd and had come from behind me and slammed me against the wall,pinning me there and shouting various threats.  
I was unable to hold back tears,but my crying only made things worse. He had slashed the left side of my face with a kunai,and dropped me to the floor. At that point,I ran off to hide,and now my father was searching for me. My tears stung the gash on my face.

This was a situation I knew all too well,one I had learned to deal with by experience.I had concealed myself under the broken cupboard--he'd kicked a sizeable hole in the wood-and-enamel finish--and focused on entirely on keeping as quiet as possible.I flinched now and then as he hissed more threats,but his slurred speech was hard to understand;Hell,most of his words hardly formed a comprehensible sentence,but the curse words were clearly defined,as there was always an extra bit of emphasis on those words--and my name was always said spitefully,as if venom had been injected into his very words.

The noise died down after a few minutes,my dad's violent words subsiding as he gave up on searching. For the time being,at least. I had no intention of coming out of hiding--I knew this part of my father's "game",as well--he would attack me as soon as I showed up again,and there was no gaurantee I'd be okay if he caught me again.  
A clicking noise sounded just outside of the cupboard,jerking me out of my daze. Out of habit,I cringed further back towards the wall,immersing myself in murky,empty darkness.

I remember thinking that if the noise I was making didn't give me away,then the silence surely would. The scratching noise did not cease,but got louder,closer. My azure eyes widened,or at least one of them did.I forced myself not to breathe,I locked all my muscles into place and kept completely still.A shadow formed outside,slinking along the edge of the cabinet and closer to the makeshift entrance my father had created. It was dark outside of the cabinet as well,mind you,so I couldn't make out the fuzzy shape that formed just outside of the entrance.

The shadow slipped through the opening and placed itself directly in front of me,barely 5 inches from my face...and this confused me. My father was about 5"11',and the figure before me was barely over a foot tall.I didn't get much of a chance to guess who it was--I knew,as soon as the creature settled itself gingerly next to my crouching form,who this was. The creature fixed its golden-amber eyes on my marred face...  
Tobi.

This "creature" was merely just a man,the only person I knew to trust. Tobi was an Uchiha,his clan was known for their ability to copy jutsus and other such abilities. The jutsu he used now--a transformation jutsu--was actually forbidden move,learned from a sacred scroll or book. According to Tobi,he was still working on acquiring new forms...  
He usually took the form of a massive wolf-like dog,but his current form was one I did not recognize.

I held out my arms,almost imperiously,and the small human-creature crawled into lap. My my fingers brushed absently through his long,silky fur.I pulled my face into a look of concentration as I tried to figure out what he was supposed to be. His long,fluffy tail twitched in amusement at the expression I was making.I observed that tail,especially,now that he'd moved it. Bushy and soft,dark fur collided with a lighter shade at its tip. The rest of his fur was so dark that it blended into the darkness,except for the chest fur,which was strikingly white.  
I had never seen an animal like this before,and I was therefore clueless as to what it was.

"I'm a _fox_!" he scoffed playfully,as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. To anyone who wasn't _me_,it probably was.  
"Riiiiiiight."I replied,my voice trembling as I struggled to keep the volume down.  
He notice this,and his eyes flashed with sympathy,anxiety,and something else...something I couldn't recognize. Anger?Resentment?Whatever it was,the color of his eyes changed momentarily as it passed,to a bloody red.I knew this to be sharingan,the legacy of the Uchiha clan.

"What happened?"he asked flatly.I was once again stirred from my reverie. His tone was gentle,but he was obviously fighting to keep anger out of his voice. He hated my father,probably almost as much as I did,for he knew everything--about my mother;she was dead,my father's cruelty,and everything else. He even knew about my handmouths--they were tightly shut as I stroked his fur--and about my abilities with clay. Once,he'd asked why I didn't simply just blow my father up.

He had transformed again,into his human form,so that my head now rested against his arm.

Now,he kept as level of an expression as his temper would allow,casting murderous glances towards the room where my father's grunts and snores could be heard.  
"He's drunk..." I began.  
"Obviously. But how did _this_," he gently stroked my injured facial features,  
"How did that happen?"  
I shifted my forlorn gaze downward and replied,"I really...shouldn't tell..."  
"Why the hell not?!" I flinched at his sudden outburst."Because..."

You know that feeling you get right before you cry?Imagine that as a facial expression--it's the closest thing you could get to how my face probably looked right now...Tobi noticed this,of course.  
"Well,that settles it!" he stated matter-of-factly.  
"Dei,stay close and follow me,alright?"  
"But...why?" I couldn't help but ask. Tobi,whose face was uncovered by his mask for once,beamed mischievously in reply.  
"It's time I got you out of this hell-hole. Deidara,think fast--I'm kidnapping you!"


	2. Chapter 2

The damage on Dei's face officially put my sanity over the edge; I say "officially" because, to be honest, I had always been subconsciously aware that my sanity was a fragile sliver of logic and self control, perching precariously on the thin line of common sense I still had left. Epic fail, ne? I was seeing colors—they were the layout for the color scheme that clashed to form one single emotion: Fury.

My emotions at this point comprised of sadistic hues of violet, turbulent blacks and grays that formed a murky depth, like bottomless oceans that threatened to consume everything else. The main color that dominated my vision now was red, swatches of it splattering against the sinister canvas of blacks and violets. The crimson shade was overpowering, so much that I wondered briefly if my Sharingan had activated without my consent. I forced it back, though—the Sharingan and the anger, for both threatened to pull me under, below reach of self-control. The last thing I wanted was to lose my sanity. Not now, not ever, and most certainly not here. Not when Deidara needed someone with a level head for comfort…but what could I offer? I, myself, was not, had _never been_ fully stable.

But Deidara had suffered enough for one day—hell, he'd endured enough pain for five years of resolve to make up for it. He did not need my anger to add anything to current situation, so it was all I could do to suppress the rage building beneath my normally good-humored self. There's a common misconception made about people like me, in other words, those who can maintain a light, lofty aura about them: The belief that any person whose personality is normally dominated by a cheery attitude is _always_ happy. Really? Well, that's good to know. Insert Sarcasm Here

Bullshit. In fact, my lack of self control and anger management was the very reason I had survived so long in the Akatsuki. It's the reason I could relate to Zetsu. I was technically bi-polar, as most people may say, and this was a well known fact—or rather, well _learned_—fact by anyone who knew me. Very rarely have I ever lost my temper, mainly because I know exactly when to put my emotions on lockdown, to prevent any impending violence from erupting. But no one's perfect, and alas, I have been known to lose it before…

Poor Kisame…I bit him once. He really _does_ taste like sushi, you know! Just vaguely, though…sort of a salty flavor…Ah! Erm, moving on!

I suppose I should bring attention to the fact that this was not the first time I'd seen Deidara in such a condition. The first time I had, his appearance at the time had been much the same—that same look of innocence and longing mingled with the dullness of pain lingering in his eyes. He was trapped, more or less, within his own home. The very place that should have held out its arms in safety was now a barricade. It locked him in, serving as his own personal hell. I became aware of this the day I met him, but not immediately, due to such unusual circumstances that day.

Apparently, Deidara's so-called father had been taking him out into the village that day—presumably to shop. Iwagakure, having always been a bustling village, was crowded, as per usual. The only difference was that today was the day before the annual Sakura Festival, and everyone was making preparations. And of course, all the children were closely supervised as a result…except for one. Deidara's bastard of a father wasn't paying attention, not that he would have cared, anyway, so the poor kid got separated from him in the mass of shoppers and passersby. I was in town myself that day--(in disguise, of course—psht, yeah…why don't _you_ try waltzing into town wearing an Akatsuki cloak!)—shopping for a special scroll during my spare time.

Eh? What's that? The scroll…?.....There's no need to be nosey, you know!!! And, damn it, I forgot what I was gonna say—Oh wait, nevermind.

Anyways, Dei stumbled into my peripheral vision, haphazardly pushing his way through the crowd. The sunlight caught the blonde sheen in his hair, discerning the lighter shades from the darker hues. I kept him in my line of vision while at the same time making my purchase. Now that I think about it, that merchant owes me 15 ryo!

I tucked the scroll under my arm, turning on my heels for a better view, watching the blonde wriggle amongst the throng of people—a fine example of a salmon swimming upstream. The kid tripped several times—the road wasn't paved and was uneven, so I couldn't really blame him. A look of panic and apprehension was on his face as he searched wildly for his father. He seemed like any other lost child, but with one exception—no one stopped to help him as he fell, some didn't acknowledge his presence, while others simply turned their heads away, watching him from the corner of their eye. No one stopped to ask if he was okay, but many of them looked as if they wanted to. I would later learn that Deidara's father, the very person the child was so desperately trying to find, intimidated most of the villagers, if not every single one of them.

He was not the Iwakage, but the villagers feared him because of his reputation—he was a violent drunk. They wanted nothing to do with him, fearing that anything or anyone related to him would cause them pain…and Deidara was unfortunate enough to fall under that category. I was a clueless stranger at the time, so I had no idea any of this was going on. All I knew was that it was wrong to let Dei flail helplessly around like that. So as he managed to squirm through the last of the crowd, I stepped forward to offer my help, catching him by the shoulder as he almost tripped again.

"Looking for someone?"

"Hm? Oh, m-my…father…" he had replied hesitantly.

I noticed with a spark of interest that he had said "father", not "dad" as most children would say as a term of endearment. I sighed, knowing that my conscience would not allow me to leave him all alone.

"Do you need any help finding him?" I ventured, scanning his face for any sign that he was uncomfortable with me talking to him. The kid's eyes widened and he practically super-glomped my leg, clinging there as if his life depended on it. I should have realized it then—the clinginess, the way he had spoken his father's name, the smell of fear I had detected but did not fully catch—but I didn't put those clues together. I did not recognize the essence of pure adrenaline wafting from his skin, but I should have known, and I regret that I did not.

I boosted him up on my shoulders so he could identify his so-called "father". He pointed the way while I parted through the crowd with ease, the villagers casting me curious glances as I went. It was hardly a problem finding hid father, but impossible for me to fathom how Deidara was related to the man in any way. My first impression of this man still haunts me. Deidara lingered by my side upon seeing him, trembling. And hell, I didn't blame him! The man before me—(if he even had the decency of a man, let alone a parent)—was undeniably drunk, slung across the counter of the bar and arguing in an obnoxious, slurred tone with the bartender. The strong smell of alcohol was overwheliming, mixing with sweat and smoke, all three smells enhanced by my Sharingan. It wasn't pleasant. He seemed impatient, potentially violent, and gave off an air of superiority that he, of all people, certainly didn't have. The air around him gave the impression of general filth—but his language was filthier, for it was foul enough to surpass even Hidan's filthy mouth.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay with this…?" I began uncertainly, but the kid was already loping off toward the man, flashing a weak smile, miming the words "thank you" as he followed his father home.

At this point, I was angry with myself for being so helpless…and I suppressed my urge to kill the senseless drunkard then and there. And against all rules of sanity, I followed Deidara home that night, using my wolf transformation to slink into the shadows. Once I arrived, I snuck in through the window—Dei's dad probably left it open—and darted behind the nearest object, a box. I had a gut feeling that Deidara would need me that night, and I owed him, so I was willing to stay, concerned for his safety and well-being. I heard a faint snuffling noise coming from nearby, and stiffened.

It took all of about four minutes of searching before I realized that the noise came from the _box_ itself. It was Deidara, of course, hiding from his father. Cautiously, I poked my shoved my nose into the box, successfully poking Deidara in his side. He squeaked in surprise and fear as he glanced up at my (currently furry) face. It was then that he told me all his secrets, and I told him mine. He began trusting me and I now checked in on him now and then.

So now I was faced with a dilemma—I had to get Dei out of here. He'd be much safer in the Akatsuki, especially since already had special skills that would suit the organization well. Deidara's dad was hammered right now, so it wouldn't be that hard to escape. But if we chose an obvious escape, then he'd follow our trail after he sobered up. The window, for instance, was out of the question. By now, I'd read up on this family—Dei's relatives excelled at tracking missing ninja and Dei's father was a direct descendant of those ancestors—he'd know exactly where we were headed by the time we were half way there, so would have to outsmart him. I could sense the fresh air that came from the upstairs attic, and figures that'd be our safest way to escape. All we needed was a sensibly timed head start. So all I had to do was start from a high point so his father couldn't track my chakra signature throughout the house. If I was lucky, he would follow the trail I took to get here, directly opposite the way I planned on going.

I followed the scent of fresh air, Deidara trailing beside me as my sense of smell picked out the musty smell of the attic cellar from the other smells—blood, sweat, and heavy liquor. Dei clung to my fur—(I was a wolf, to avoid detection)—as we ascended the creaky steps that led to the attic. I avoided making any noise, nudging the blonde in various directions to avoid a faulty step. As soon as we reached the top, I saw a clearly defined opening—a gaping hole in the ceiling that bathed the now sun-bleached floorboards with dappled sunlight. It was a pretty high jump, I figured, but I could manage it. I reverted to my human form, holding out my arms and allowing him to clamber onto my back.

"Y'ready, Dei-chan?" I asked, glancing back at him encouragingly. His answer came in the form of a quavering "un". With that, I leapt up yo the highest point on the roof, careful not to look down, and made a final jump to the forest floor with Dei clinging tightly around my neck. I hit the ground running, and neither of us looked back.

"Lost, but never forgotten…" --Erin Hunter (Warriors: Darkest Hour)


	3. Chapter 3

"'Listen, my child,' you say to me, 'I am the voice of your history. Be not afraid, come follow me. Answer my call and I'll set you free.'" –The Voice

Deidara's P.O.V.

As much as I wanted to believe that I was finally free, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. When all you've ever known is a life of pain, how do you ever recover? How can you dare to trust again, knowing that there are people in the world who take pleasure in inflicting pain on others? I wanted to. I wanted to trust, to love, and to live…and Tobi had given me the chance to do so freely…so why was it so hard to trust someone who obviously had no intentions to harm me?

And there lies the problem. It wasn't that I feared Tobi. I wasn't afraid of him—I was afraid _for_ him. My mother had died trying to save me from my own father. What if the same thing happened to Tobi? This was where I gained my inner strength, and it caught me by surprise. I listed my fears over and over in my mind as I clung to him, images of promises and lies clashing in my head. As of now, I was holding on to the only person I could trust in this world, and I never wanted to lose him. After a few years, I had come to terms with the loss of my mother, but I still blamed myself, for if I had been stronger, I might have had the ability to change things—my mother might still be alive. So then it hit me: to protect the people I loved, I would have to get stronger. I knew Tobi would not object to teaching me a few fighting skills, and I was ready to take on the challenge. With that knowledge at hand, I had a new burden to bear.

I was free from my father, but that could only last for so long. With that freedom, I would do everything in my power to obtain the strength to bring him down for good. I now knew why so many people had fought to rid themselves of emotion. They did not want to care, because it hurt to do so. When you lose someone, it never stops hurting. No amount of time or therapy can heal a deep wound like that. So many of the people I knew had cut themselves off from the rest of the world. They tried to remain apathetic to protect themselves as well as the well-being of those around them, but in the end, their lack of emotion destroys them. Even though caring hurts, it's healthy, and it was the only thing that kept you human in such a world as this. I was afraid, but aren't we all? Even when there's nothing to fear. It's natural, it's human…but it hurts, worse than some people can stand to bear. But fear and bravery are closely intertwined, just as love and hate are. They're interchangeable, and one cannot exist without the other—so the fear I felt was the fear I vowed to turn to strength.

Tobi's P.O.V.

In all my life, I've never known a child with Dei's sense of perception. He sees things the way a mastermind would, and he knows things that any normal shinobi would overlook. His chakra level spiked prominently as soon as we were out of range of his old life. I could sense the adrenaline that flashed through his bloodstream. He was free now, and well aware of it. And he was already preparing himself for the life ahead of him, and for the demise of his father. I bit back a smile. As morbid as it may seem, the very thought of vengeance has always intrigued the minds of humans. Deidara, having endured years worth of pain, eagerly awaited the moment he would be able to settle the score. He'd be beyond ready by then. I would make sure of it.

It was around noontime now, and it was a particularly breezy day. We stopped by a stream for a well-needed break. It had been about three hours since we'd escaped, and Deidara was getting restless. Needless to say, so was I. I mentally listed everything that needed to be done in my mind, while keeping an eye on Deidara. He wasn't as active as most children were, I observed. He did not head straight for the water, but kept his distance from it instead. He was tracing lines in the dirt, creating jagged spikes and contrasting them with curving swirls.

My gaze kept traveling back to his left eye, which urgently needed care. From the looks of it, it needed replacing. There was no way to fix it and make it completely functional without replacing it. I knew a few shops in the nearby village that might have something for the job. Plus, I could only imagine how hungry he must be. And his clothes needed replacing as well. Our current base was near Amekagure, and it got cold there pretty often…

I glanced up at the sky, using the sun as a way to guess how much time we had until nightfall. For me, traveling at night was always the wisest thing to do. Any thugs or assassins would be out on missions, not looking for trouble by crossing paths with other shinobi. Plus, the night provided a suitable, natural cloak to hide us from potential dangers. We would set off for Head Quarters at dusk, but in the meantime, I might as well get a few things done.  
I stood up, stretching and yawning. Dei's attention immediately locked on me. He tilted his head questioningly, almost expectantly in anticipation. I grinned warmly.

"Here's the thing: we need to get to the Sunagakure market, but they'll recognize me if I go in my human form…" I began hesitantly, still planning and marking the details, "So I was thinking that I could go with you…as a sort of pet." Deidara's eyes widened, and he sort of smirked a little. "Another fox infiltration?" he asked, "I guess you could say that." I chuckled.

Deidara's P.O.V.

I clung to the entrance gate of the Suna village warily, ignoring the awkward sensation of cloth over my left eye. It was only there temporarily, until I bought the scope to replace my eye with. Tobi crouched on my shoulders as a silver fox, his tail flicking against my nose playfully every so often. He had given me 250 ryo to spend here, and promised to help me out with decision-making on items and such. He had said that once we crossed Suna village and reached the merchants on the outskirts of town, he could turn back into his human self.  
Hesitantly, I approached the first stall, perusing the various merchandise on the shelves. I jumped as a booming voice welcomed me. " 'Ey, you look like a newcomer here. Anything y'like?" a tall man with grey and white hair asked, gesturing to the shelf in front of me. I glanced back down at the selection. Various bags and backpacks were assembled here, some of which were obviously well-suited for hiking and hunting trips. "Eh? Careful with the merchandise, pup!"

I started, then realized he was talking to Tobi, whose front paw was extended towards one of the bags. A messenger bag that you slung over your shoulder. Tobi was giving the merchant such a look that I had to bite back a laugh. If looks could kill….

He glanced back up at me encouragingly. The bag…Oh! The bag!

I shuffled through my pockets and grabbed a few coins. The tag read 20 ryo. I handed over the money, and the merchant gave me the backpack, thanking me as I went. Tobi crawled into one of the front pockets as I slung it across my shoulder, smiling his foxy fox smile.

It wasn't a very long shopping trip. By the time we were done, we had bought several kunai knives, C-4 clay of the highest quality, a few good books and scrolls, the eye scope (now securely and comfortably fitted in my eye), and new clothes for both me and Tobi. I was wearing one of my net shirts and sweatpants right now, along with combat boots. It had totaled 145 ryo in total, leaving 85 ryo left over.

"Alrighty then!" Tobi grinned, clapping his hands together. He had reverted to his human self moments before. "Let's eat! Where to, Deidara?" he asked brightly. My eyes widened. I hadn't really thought of food at all. "Anywhere you want." I replied.


End file.
